Emerge Law Group

What Emerge Law Group does

Emerge Law Group was a Portland, Oregon-based boutique business law firm founded in 2014 that built a specialty practice in cannabis and psychedelics regulation while serving adjacent industries including hospitality, manufacturing, real estate, sports, media, and technology. Over its 12+ year operating history, the firm engaged more than 1,000 clients and cycled through as many as 50 attorneys and dozens of staff. Its core offerings were delivered through traditional professional services economics — hourly billing, fixed fees on discrete matters, and transaction-based fees for licensing applications, financings, M&A, and regulatory work — with practices spanning a Cannabis Industry Group, Psychedelics Industry Group, Business Law, Intellectual Property, Employment Law, Litigation, Real Estate and Land Use, and Taxation. The firm supplemented legal services with a content ecosystem including the CannaBeat newsletter and podcast, a Deep Dive monthly webinar series on the Oregon Psilocybin Services Act, and an extensive topical blog, all functioning as thought leadership in two narrow, regulated verticals.

The firm's market position was anchored by its regulatory authorship: Emerge attorneys were principal drafters of Oregon Ballot Measure 91 (2014, recreational cannabis) and Oregon Ballot Measure 109 (2020, psilocybin services), giving the practice interpretive authority over OLCC and OHA frameworks that competitors lacked. Recognized outcomes included achieving a LUBA reversal for the first psilocybin service center at a destination resort (Juniper Preserve) and organizing a 63-stakeholder public comment to OHA. From a footprint standpoint, Emerge operated from Portland as its headquarters, expanded to New York, New Jersey, Colorado, Connecticut, and Washington, and grew via a 2018 merger with Greenbridge that consolidated West Coast cannabis legal capacity. Awards included multi-year Oregon Super Lawyers and Rising Stars designations (2021, 2023, 2024), Top 200 Global Psychedelic Lawyers recognition (2023), and Portland Business Journal diversity rankings (3rd Most Diverse Small Law Firm in 2019; 8th in 2021).

On December 15, 2025, after more than 12 years in operation, Emerge Law Group closed its doors. The majority of its attorneys (Dave Kopilak, Sean Clancy, Alex Berger, Adam Gamboa) joined Vicente LLP to continue the cannabis and psychedelics practice at scale; Kaci Hohmann moved to Epstein Becker & Green; tax shareholder Bernard Chamberlain continued his own solo practice; and Managing Shareholder Corinne Celko exited legal practice. The closure marks the end of Emerge as a legal entity and a clean transfer of its practice book to a larger platform, which itself is a notable outcome relative to a typical law firm wind-down.

Name

Emerge Law Group

Legal name

Emerge Law Group

Website

https://emergelawgroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Emerge Law Group was a Portland, Oregon-based boutique business law firm founded in 2014 specializing in cannabis and psychedelics regulation, serving 1,000+ clients across multiple verticals before closing in December 2025, with majority of attorneys joining Vicente LLP.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cannabis and Psychedelics Legal Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110), Legal Services (5411)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Health Law, Legal Counsel & Regulatory Affairs Offices (HLAJACAJ)

Keywords

• Cannabis legal services
• Psychedelics law
• Regulatory compliance
• Corporate law
• Intellectual property

Headquarters

HQ city

Portland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Legal Services: Traditional law firm revenue through hourly billing, fixed fees for specific services, and transaction-based fees for matters such as licensing applications, corporate transactions, and regulatory compliance work in cannabis and psychedelics industries

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Emerge Law Group provided full-service business legal representation organized into distinct practice areas: Cannabis Industry Group, Psychedelics Industry Group, Business Law, Intellectual Property, Employment Law, Litigation, Real Estate and Land Use, and Taxation. Services spanned licensing, regulatory compliance, corporate governance, M&A, financing transactions, and dispute resolution for cannabis, psilocybin, and general business clients. The firm supplemented billable legal work with educational content such as the CannaBeat newsletter/podcast and Deep Dive webinar series on Oregon psilocybin regulation.

Product overview

Emerge Law Group is a full-service business law firm that operates as a unified legal services practice rather than a platform-based product architecture. The firm specializes in cannabis and psychedelics law with distinct practice areas including the Cannabis Industry Group, Psychedelics Industry Group, Business Law, Intellectual Property, Employment Law, Litigation, Real Estate and Land Use, and Taxation. The firm supplements its legal services with educational content products including the CannaBeat podcast (a curated cannabis industry news digest) and the Deep Dive webinar series covering Oregon Psilocybin Services Act developments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CannaBeat: A curated biweekly selection of top news stories impacting business, research, and culture in the cannabis industry

Products and services

• Cannabis Industry Group
• Psychedelics Industry Group
• Business Law Practice
• Intellectual Property Practice
• Employment Law Practice
• Litigation Practice
• Real Estate and Land Use Practice
• Taxation Practice

Quantifiable outcome

• Achieved LUBA reversal for first psilocybin service center at destination resort in Oregon
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered major, minor and core.

• Vicente LLPmajorOthers · 15 December 2025After serving clients for over 12 years, Emerge Law Group closed its doors effective December 15, 2025. The majority of Emerge attorneys (Dave Kopilak, Sean Clancy, Alex Berger, and Adam Gamboa) joined Vicente LLP, continuing their cannabis and psychedelics law practices at their new home.
• Jacoby LawminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 7 May 2024Co-hosted webinar with Kevin Jacoby from Jacoby Law on Batch Tagging and CAMP Updates for Oregon cannabis licensees. Joint educational event on regulatory changes in Oregon cannabis industry.
• Plant Medicine Law GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 March 2024Emerge Law Group and Plant Medicine Law Group announced a co-counsel collaboration in Oregon. The partnership combines Emerge's deep expertise in Oregon cannabis and psychedelics law with Plant Medicine Law Group's specialized knowledge at the intersection of healthcare and Schedule 1 law. Both firms share similar values of providing high-quality services while maintaining personalized boutique practice approaches.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Vicente LLP: National cannabis and psychedelics law firm that absorbed the majority of Emerge's attorneys in December 2025. Operates as a direct successor in cannabis regulatory, licensing, and corporate work with broader multi-state reach.
• Harris Bricken: Cannabis-focused boutique law firm with similar practice mix covering cannabis regulation, licensing, IP, and corporate work, serving operators across multiple states.
• Canna Law Group: Pacific Northwest-based boutique law firm specializing in cannabis business law, licensing, and compliance — direct competitor to Emerge in Washington and Oregon markets.
• Plant Medicine Law Group: Specialized psilocybin and Schedule I substance law firm that partnered with Emerge in 2024 on Oregon psilocybin matters; serves the same psychedelics client base with overlapping expertise.
• Clark Neff: Cannabis and psychedelics boutique law firm serving operators and ancillary businesses; competes in the same niche regulatory and licensing space as Emerge.

Broad incumbents

• Husch Blackwell: National full-service firm with a well-known cannabis practice group serving multi-state operators; competes for the same cannabis M&A and regulatory mandates as Emerge but with broader corporate bench.
• Akerman LLP: Major national firm with a leading cannabis law practice group serving operators, investors, and ancillary businesses across the U.S.
• Greenspoon Marder: National full-service law firm with a dedicated cannabis practice group, providing licensing, regulatory, litigation, and corporate services to cannabis operators.
• Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney: National law firm with significant cannabis and hemp practice; competes for cannabis corporate, finance, and regulatory work for larger operators and MSOs.
• Frost Brown Todd: Full-service law firm with established cannabis practice spanning multiple states; competes for cannabis regulatory and corporate mandates.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@emergelawgroup2607
• Facebookfacebook.com/emergelawgroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/emerge-law-group
• Instagraminstagram.com/emergelawgroup
• Xx.com/emergelawgroup

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Emerge Law Group